France hits Apple with a $1.23 billion anti-competitive fine

The French Competition Authority has ordered Apple to pay a €1.1 billion ($1.23 billion) fine, for colluding with its distributors and abusing the economic dependence of its independent resellers. 

France’s competition watchdog also fined two wholesalers, Tech Data and Ingram Micro, for €76.1 million ($85 million) and €62.9 million ($70.3 million), respectively. 

The fine, a record for France, was imposed after it was found that Apple agreed with these two large wholesalers not to compete and thus fix prices for Apple products. Apple also abused its Premium distributors by subjecting them to unfair commercial conditions compared to integrated distributors. 

“The Authority considered that, in the present case, Apple had committed an abuse of economic dependence on its premium retailers, a practice which the Authority considers to be particularly serious,” Isabelle de Silva, President of the French Competition Authority, said in a statement. “Given the strong impact of these practices on competition in the distribution of Apple products via Apple premium resellers, the Authority imposes the highest penalty ever pronounced in a case.“

The news comes just a month after the French Competition Authority fined Apple $27 million for intentionally slowing down older iPhones, and Italy imposed a $11.4 million fine on the company for that same reason in 2019.